Capacity on Nine Eutelsat Satellites Mobilised for Worldwide High Definition Coverage of Canonisation of John XXIII and John Paul II

Regulatory News:

Eutelsat Communications (Paris:ETL) (NYSE Euronext Paris: ETL) today announced that its satellites will be a core component of the broadcast infrastructure mobilised to deliver live worldwide coverage of the canonisation ceremony on April 27 of Popes John XXIII and Jean Paul II. Vatican Television Center (CTV), the broadcasting arm of the Holy See has selected to use capacity on nine Eutelsat satellites in order to offer broadcasters the opportunity to cover this historic event presided over by Pope Francis direct from St Peter’s Square in Rome.

The High Definition broadcast by CTV in DVB S2-MPEG4 will be uplinked by Globecast direct from St Peter’s Square to the EUTELSAT 5 West A satellite. In order to ensure global distribution, Eutelsat will coordinate immediate redistribution across nine satellites: a HOT BIRD satellite, EUTELSAT 5 West A and EUTELSAT 8 West A for Europe, EUTELSAT 36A and EUTELSAT 16A for Africa, EUTELSAT 70B and EUTELSAT 172A for Asia and Australia and EUTELSAT 12 West A and SATMEX 8 for the Americas. All feeds will be transmitted from 07.00 UTC to 12.00 UTC on a free-to-air basis so that broadcasters can benefit from live and edited coverage.

Mons. Dario Edoardo Viganò, director of Centro Televisivo Vaticano declared: "Satellite has always been an invaluable platform for overcoming geographic constraints and taking the Papal message across the world. For this event, thanks to the significant mobilisation of Eutelsat's satellites, we will deliver a truly global live broadcast using the highest quality of image, creating an historic moment in the story of communications."

Speaking at a press conference held today in the Vatican, Renato Farina, CEO of Eutelsat Italia, said: “We are delighted to collaborate with CTV on this event of global interest, and that the newly expanded footprint of our satellites positions us to reach broadcasters across five continents. Eutelsat is committed to drawing on its extensive experience of transmitting exceptional events and its close relationships with industry-leading partners to deliver the highest quality of service to an international audience.”

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About Eutelsat Communications
Established in 1977, Eutelsat Communications (NYSE Euronext Paris: ETL, ISIN code: FR0010221234) is one of the world's leading and most experienced operators of communications satellites. The company provides capacity on 36 satellites to clients that include broadcasters and broadcasting associations, pay-TV operators, video, data and Internet service providers, enterprises and government agencies. Eutelsat’s satellites provide ubiquitous coverage of Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia-Pacific and the Americas, enabling video, data, broadband and government communications to be established irrespective of a user’s location. Headquartered in Paris, with offices and teleports around the globe, Eutelsat represents a workforce of 1,000 men and women from 32 countries who are experts in their fields and work with clients to deliver the highest quality of service.
For more about Eutelsat please visit www.eutelsat.com

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